Democratic operatives are scouring Texas to find worthy statewide candidates to run on a 2014 ticket with Sen. Wendy Davis.

Davis is expected to announce in the coming weeks whether she’ll challenge for governor or opt to seek re-election.

The recruitment of running mates for the Fort Worth Democrat by the party and associated groups is a clear indication that Davis is indeed preparing for a statewide campaign. In theory, she would benefit from a ticket with competitive candidates for lieutenant governor, attorney general and other offices.

Democrats have lacked such credible tickets in the last two statewide campaigns, in 2006 and 2010. Their recruiting efforts contrast with Republicans, who have experienced candidates running for almost every statewide office. And the Democrats’ trouble fielding a strong ticket shows that for all the efforts to turn Texas blue, for now, Republicans remain firmly in charge.

Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio, tops the wish list. The veteran lawmaker acknowledged Wednesday that she had been approached about running for lieutenant governor by business leaders and some Democrats. She said she would consider running for the post, now held by Republican David Dewhurst, once Davis makes her plans public.

“I’m not ruling it out, but right now I’m holding off on considering it until Wendy decides what she’s going to do,” Van de Putte said. “I’ll wait until then to consider how I can make the state more competitive.”

Van de Putte is the party’s strongest hope because her Senate term runs through 2016. She could run for statewide office without losing her Senate perch, which few other lawmakers can do.

Others courted for statewide campaigns include state Rep. Rafael Anchia of Dallas, state Sen. Royce West of Dallas and state Reps. Trey Martinez Fischer and Mike Villarreal of San Antonio. Each would have to risk his current position: House members must run every two years, and West’s seat is also on the ballot next year.

Given that obstacle, Democrats have been cautious about jumping in. But Democratic consultant Jason Stanford says it’s time for promising candidates to get off the mat and compete.

“Everybody thinks we’ve been running against Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls when, in fact, we haven’t fielded a team in a decade,” Stanford said. “We haven’t been putting pressure on Republicans.”

Davis campaign officials said they were aware of the rumblings about a planned ticket but weren’t participating in recruiting.

“We’re not involved in any way with trying to influence what that looks like,” said J.D. Angle, a political consultant and part of Davis’ inner circle. “We’re encouraged in general that people are excited about the prospects.”

Angle’s brother, Democratic strategist and Davis confidant Matt Angle, said Texas Democratic Party Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa had been trying to put together a slate of candidates before Davis’ attention-grabbing filibuster launched a “draft Wendy” movement. But “it has taken on some intensity because people are anticipating that Wendy will run,” Angle said.

And Angle, who in previous weeks had been cautious about encouraging Davis or any of the party’s rising stars to run statewide, said this week that 2014 could be the time to make a move.

“If we want to move forward, we need to have the guts to encourage our best candidates to run,” Angle said.

Star power

Next year’s election season appeared to be another year in waiting until Davis exploded onto the national scene after a filibuster that helped bring down a restrictive abortion bill.

The bill eventually passed during a second special session, but Davis’ star power has endured.

Democrats hope they now have a potential candidate for governor who can raise money, energize the party’s base and draw swing voters.

But party leaders quickly realized that Davis, though clearly the main draw, would be helped by a slate of interesting and competitive down-ballot candidates.

“Davis would help down-ballot candidates more than they would help her,” said consultant Harold Cook. “But I’m sure she would rather run on the same ticket with credible candidates.”

Not onboard yet

But the recruitment for Democrats is not going well.

Anchia said he’s focused on running for re-election. He has seemed more intrigued with Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings’ decision about whether to seek re-election in 2015 rather than running with Davis as an attorney general or lieutenant governor candidate.

Villarreal, at this point, is also opting for re-election instead of running for comptroller.

West, another possibility for lieutenant governor or attorney general, is likely to run for re-election to the Senate.

But Van de Putte has options. In addition to her safe seat, she is known as a pro-business Democrat with vast knowledge of the energy industry.

“People wanting me to run for lieutenant governor is nothing new,” she said. “But the phone calls and conversations have increased since Wendy Davis’ filibuster.”

Democrats have not had a top-flight statewide slate since the 2002 “dream ticket,” which featured Laredo businessman Tony Sanchez for governor, former Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk for Senate, former Comptroller John Sharp for lieutenant governor and former Austin Mayor Kirk Watson for attorney general.

The idea was to draw voters with a racially balanced ticket of up-and-comers. But it turned into a nightmare: Republicans led by Gov. Rick Perry swept the ballot, and they now haven’t lost a statewide race in 20 years.

Stanford hopes for a better result next year.

“We don’t know until we try,” he said. “This may be the year we screw up and actually win one of these things.”

Follow Gromer Jeffers Jr. on Twitter at @gromerjeffers.

Here’s a look at possible major candidates for top statewide offices. Most Republicans have already declared their candidacies, while Democrats listed are thought to be considering the races:

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